Love's Worth
by mArsbAr
Summary: Chap2: The chaos continues with an 'interesting' scenario at the Great Hall... teeheehee... Have fun, pls r/r
1. Default Chapter

Love's Worth

By mArsbAr

The character of Holly Golightly is mine. Her name isn't though; it belongs to the author/s of "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Hey, I'm sorry! I couldn't resist - it's such an adorable name! =} The rest of the charas are property of the good Mrs. J.K. Rowling.

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"If I could protect you from all the hurt and disappointment in this world, I would... If I could take your pain and make it my own, I would... Just to make you happy because you're my friend and will always be."

Chapter One: Breakfast

            _"And for tonight's news, Christmas won't be so merry for two young ones' families: those of Patrick Abberman and Lindsey Trable. Both were found dead due to numerous injuries across their bodies, as if carelessly handled toys that had been played with brutally and discarded. Patrick and Lindsey were reported to be in different dumpsters, the lass in Kent and the lad in..."  _

            _"Holly..." an angry Dr. James Golightly started, speaking over the dully droning television. "How many times have I told you to put away those dolls?" He snatched the dolls, one girl and one boy, away from the pouting toddler. He looked sternly at them, taking notice of the darned material and splotches of dirt. He murmured, "You've been fooling around with them long enough!" He absentmindedly switched off the tv without tearing his eyes off the dolls._

_            "I'm sorry, daddy..." Holly whispered, still pouting. She blinked up at him innocently. "I just really wanted to play..." she added, but her father was far from listening.  _

_            "Honey, dinner's ready! Bring Holly in with you, all right?" came Mrs. Golightly's voice from the kitchen, where the scent of a delicious Christmas dinner allured Holly's father into hastily picking her up, deciding not to scold his daughter on Christmas Eve, and carrying the tousling little girl over his shoulder._

_            What he didn't see was his daughter, hands outstretched, summoning the two dolls to her. They floated in midair, flying behind Mr. Golightly. Holly chuckled with childish amusement and grabbed the dolls once again. And in the blink of an eye, she had shrunken them to miniscule dots, and when her father had put her down, she dropped them straight into the right pocket of her pink dress. _

_            "Did you hear all that dreadful news on the tv, darling?" Mrs. Golightly asked her husband as she set a pitcher of water on the table. "About those kids getting killed right before Christmas?" She shook her head, thoroughly upset. "What kind of heartless criminal wouldn't even take a rest for the jolly holidays, eh?" _

_            "It's nothing to get worked up about, dear," said Mr. Golightly, and he smiled at Holly. "As long as OUR little one is safe..."_

            The dream faded as Holly Golightly woke up to the brightly shining sun. "Aww..." she grumbled as she sat up in bed. "Let me at whoever gave me the spot by the window..." 

            Hermione Granger, whose bed was next to hers, laughed. "It's your own fault, Holly. You were so busy poking around the common room on the first day that we'd all picked the good spots."

            She stretched, got up and as soon as they had freshened up, walked with Hermione to the Great Hall for breakfast. 

            "You know, Hermione..." she began. She could vaguely remember the dream she had last had. It involved a little girl... and two dolls. But aside from what the dolls looked like, that was all she could recall. 

            "What is it?" Hermione asked. "Look, I'm really sorry you got stuck with the bed by the window, but..."

            "No it's... nothing. Forget it," Holly said, still trying to grasp what little was left of the dream.There was a girl, wearing a red longsleeves jacket over a white frilled blouse and a turquoise ruffled skirt. And the boy was wearing khaki slacks and a light blue sweater over a navy blue collared shirt...  

            Hermione was about to comment on Holly's glazed over look, when Neville Longbottom popped up from downstairs, panting as usual. __

_            "Neville, will you please learn to not hurry around all the time. I  mean, a diet is one thing but to run around unnecessarily can be quite a hazard," Holly scolded, secretly happy for something to take her mind off things. _

_            "Oh, but I run with purpose, Holly," Neville replied, still jogging in place. _

            "And what is that purpose, pray tell?" Hermione asked with equal curiosity as her roommate. Holly, on the other hand, couldn't help but giggle at Neville who couldn't seem to stand still. 

            "Err... I'd tell you, but I suggest we do it back in the common room," Neville said as a group of other students passed them on their way up. 

            "Oh don't be silly, Longbottom," Holly said irritatedly. "I'm rather hungry and I'd appreciate it if you cut the nonsense and just tell us." 

            "Well..." Neville, turning serious managed to stop jogging and started to walk with the two to the Great Hall. "I think a big fight is about to break out at breakfast. So I grabbed a jelly donut and was about to head back."

            "Head back? But a fight is no reason to eat and run, Neville. I mean, as long as it doesn't concern you, and it doesn't, right?" Hermione said.

            Holly shook her head, amazed at how quickly Neville managed to wolf down a jelly donut in the short distance of the Great Hall and the stair well. 

            "Oh yes it is, in this case, Hermione. I'm too disgusted to watch it." Neville grimaced, then after receiving none more than still questioning looks from both girls, he continued hesitantly. "Colin Creevey was at the Great Hall early, waiting to thank Harry for his saving him from being petrified for good. When Ron left to watch a chess match between two other Gryffindors, Colin came up to Harry and uh... began his confession."

            Holly blinked. "Pardon... his CONFESSION?!"

            "Yes... Apparently Creevey likes Harry more than 'just an idol'. After reading his... love letter..." Neville shuddered a bit, "he touched Harry's cheek with a trembling hand and kind of..." he demonstrated it by dramatically pushing his bangs behind his ear, "fixed Harry's hair or something... Harry was much too shocked to object... I know I'd be if I was him..."

            "My goodness..." was all Holly could say, her jaw slightly dropping. Hermione was at a loss for words.

            "Wait 'till you hear what comes next," Neville said, stopping in his tracks, since the Great Hall was only a few feet away, and his desire to escape it still hadn't been forgotten. He looked at Holly and Hermione, who were still trying to gulp their surprise down. "Draco Malfoy suddenly grabbed Creevey's caressing hand and stopped him."

            Holly and Hermione exchanged glances, and without thinking twice, they both made for the Great Hall.     

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	2. Love's Worth: Liar, Liar

Love's Worth

By mArsbAr

Weeh! More chaos!!! What'll happen now, eh? Uh... :shrugs: 

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Chapter Two: Liar, Liar

            "That's enough, Creevey," Draco said between clenched jaws, still gripping Colin's hand by the wrist in a painful interception. "It's a wonder how anyone here can keep their breakfast down what with your faggot lovesick googoo eyes batting at Potter like that." He looked at Colin with enough spite in his eyes that would make anyone think that what strange inclination Colin had for Harry would surely be gone now.

            But Colin Creevey, the one-man-Harry-Potter-papparazzi unit, stood up, unwrenched his fist and looked Draco in the eye. "What's it to you anyway, Malfoy?" Colin asked heatedly, just as Holly and Hermione arrived, panting almost as bad as Neville was. 

            "This is between me and Harry, so what are you doing, jumping in like this? Care to explain?" Colin raised his brow expectantly. He kept his distance from Malfoy, though, but he stood a dignified ground. 

            "What rubbish are you spewing at me this time, Creevey? Trying to turn this around so it's on me, eh?I just did what any OTHER person in this room would, you dumb faggot brat!" 

            Hermione sighed in complaint. "Really, Draco, lying this early?" 

            Holly grinned, knowing all about Draco's secret, and took out her wand. She looked around the room for signs of a teacher. "Hermione, why aren't the teachers and Dumbledore at the head table today?"

            "They're having a meeting right now, according to what Dumbledore said at dinner yesterday." Hermione poked slyly at Holly's waist, tickling her. "You weren't listening again, were you?!"

            Holly giggled and shrugged, "Even if i was listening, things like that just don't seem to register in my head."  She looked back at Draco, a malicious grin on her face, waved her wand and soon, small flames were shooting up from Draco's pants. He hadn't, however, noticed. 

            At this Harry, who had snapped out of his shock only seconds earlier, got out of his chair and stood between the two, glaring at Draco. "Do save some insults for the rest of the day, Malfoy." 

            At the sight of Harry, Draco paused in surprise, and was for about 4 seconds, thrown off-guard. The 5th second, his eyes seemed to glint of what anyone would've considered odd had it been noticed - hurt. Finally, sneerig, he turned his back and walked back to the Slytherin table, yelling, "Take your disgusting business elsewhere next time, will you PLEASE, Potter?" 

            And suddenly a hoot came up from the Gryffindor table, Ron Weasley's voice - "Don't get so fired up, Malfoy! Cool off a bit, will you?" And the room hooted with laughter seeing Draco's pants aflame. Gasps of alarm arose from the Slytherin table, but greatly overpowered by the arsenal of jokes coming from the Gryffindors. Draco, screaming in panic, tried to swat off the embers. 

            "Well don't just stand there!!!" he cried at Crabbe and Goyle. "Put it out for Chrissake!!!!!!" But Draco was moving around too much for the two to even get hold of him. 

            "You'll have to take it off, Malfoy!" someone prompted loudly, much to the room's roaring laughs. Quickly realizing he had no choice, Draco stripped his pants and threw them on the floor. His two goons, thereupon, stepped on it until extinguished.

            Suddenly no other than Professor McGonagall, who had been sent down to make some announcements, strolled into the Great Hall, causing each and every student to fall silent.  "What's all this, then?" And the sea of onlookers parted to reveal Draco in his underwear. McGonagall almost swore had she not caught herself with the discipline you only see in a grown adult. 

            "Uh... all right then, students... Malfoy, put a towel on, for the love of God..." McGonagall said, looking away and pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose self-consciously. She regained her composure for a second and continued, "Let it be known that, for the next five days, all Hogwarts students are to take a break from classes, starting today. No questions may be asked regarding this decision... Not that you would have anything to complain about, I suppose..." she added with a smirk. And when she saw in the corner of her eye Hermione step forward and open her mouth to say something, she held up her pointer finger warningly and said, "Every question, Ms. Granger, would mean five points taken from your house." Hermione shut it. 

            McGonagall then turned to leave, with a brief and attempting to be friendly "Enjoy your time off." When she was out of earshot, the students let out an explosion of hurrahs.

            Ron walked up to Harry, a tad distracted watching the extremely flushed Draco hobble off wrapped in an extra tablecloth with Crabbe, holding his burnt pants, and Goyle tailing behind him. When the room started clearing up, everyone still talking excitedly about what they would busy themselves with the rest of the day, Ron finally turned his attention to his friend, just as Holly and Hermine headed in their direction. Still grinning, the redhead asked, "You all right, Harry?"

            Harry smiled and said, "Yes, I'm fine..." 

            Then the two looked at each other and burst out laughing. Holly and Hermione soon came up and had a few chuckles too before the lot of them recovered.

            "Really sorry to do that to your dear Draco, Harry..." Holly said, a bit weak from laughing so hard. "But I thought it too early for any pretensions." 

            "I've got to hand it to him," Ron said. "He sure can cover up for what he feels. If I didn't know better, I could've BELIEVED he was anti-slash...But you really outdid yourself this time, Holly!" He beamed at the brunette. 

            "Thanks," Holly said with a smile.

            Harry rolled his eyes at the two of them. "You shouldn't be so hard on him, you know...You shouldn't punish him for doing what's best for both of us." 

            The concern in Harry's voice didn't go unnoticed. "Why don't you go comfort him, Harry? I'm sure if there's anyone to lighten his spirits, it's you," Hermione said with sincere eyes.

            "That's right, Harry. Once you talk to Draco, everything will be fine," Ron assured.

            Harry nodded. "Yeah... I'll talk to him this afternoon."

            By this time, they had gone outside for a stroll along the lake. Others had also headed for the freshness of the outdoors, chatting in small groups under shady spots, reading, or trying out different spells. 

            "Harry..." Holly began uncertainly.

            "What is it, Holly?"

            "How long... you and Draco... How long will it be this way?" she finally asked heavily.

            Harry stared at the path ahead of them, bright with the morning sun. "I don't know, Holly..."

            After some moments of silence, they passed someone who was able to fish out a dirty old picture frame, and the four of them hurried over to take a look, rendering the subject officially closed. For now. 


End file.
